MILITARY PRINTS
The period 1750-1860--Works including military prints--Where to search
for bargains--The kind of print most sought after--Works including
fine military prints--Bunbury--Gillray
In the following notes we do not propose to go deeply into the lore of
print collecting, as the matter is too involved for treatment in these
pages, and also because such admirable books as "Chats on Old Prints,"
by Arthur Hayden, already cover the ground. Here we propose to talk of
military prints as they affect the general collector of military curios.
Printed pictures of soldiers and soldiery are to be found dating back
almost to the days of Caxton, but those coming within the period
1750-1860 seem to be the most interesting. Probably this is due, in
the main, to three reasons. First, the period was one of much military
unrest, and people's interests were largely centred on the army.
Secondly, the costumes of the various regiments were attractive and
showy, and lent themselves to pictorial treatment. And thirdly, the art
of printing had reached a stage when reproductions were no longer so
expensive as to be almost prohibitive in price.
Most of the prints which we have seen of this period were originally
published as illustrations to books, a good number were issued as
sets in portfolios, whilst a few were sold separately. The books
which contain these military pictures, especially when the latter
are coloured, fetch high prices, but fortunately the collector can
become conversant with these gems of the printer's art in such
treasure-houses as the British Museum and the South Kensington Museum.
Those of us who can afford to buy perfect copies of such illustrated
works will find admirable collections for sale at Messrs. Maggs
Brothers, in the Strand; Messrs. Robson & Co., in Coventry Street,
W.C.; and Messrs. Henry Sotheran & Co., in Piccadilly.
But though these works, illustrated with military prints, are costly,
the collector of moderate means may gather together quite an extensive
collection of the pictures, torn from the complete works, at no great
outlay. It may seem surprising to all of us who are curio-lovers but it
is a fact that there are still people who are so ignorant of the value
of books and pictures that they will snatch out the illustrations from
priceless volumes and sell the former for a few coppers, throwing away
the letterpress. Only the other day we were talking with a friendly
collector who showed us a batch of Ackermann's coloured plates which he
had obtained for a few pence each, although the actual value was, at
the least, half a guinea per copy.
The collector, therefore, must be on the look-out for bargains of
this nature; he will find them in the portfolios which usually
encumber the doorways of the second-hand booksellers in Charing Cross
Road, Praed Street, Museum Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, and the stalls
along Farringdon Road. In these interesting quarries he will assuredly
make discoveries from time to time; so he will if he keeps an eye on
establishments of a similar nature in the outskirts of London.
[Illustration: NAPOLEON'S CARRIAGE ARRIVING AT THE LONDON MUSEUM. By
Cruikshank.]
A few general words on the value of military prints may be of interest.
Those which depict types of soldiers are generally more sought after
than those representing battle scenes; those of noted commanders are,
of course, valuable, but representations of little-known commanders,
wearing perhaps court rather than military dress, are not in much
demand. Pictures in which soldiers play a minor part are also of little
interest to the collector of military curios, as there is always a
possibility that the uniforms have been drawn more with the idea of
being picturesque than accurate. Machine-coloured pictures are, of
course, highly treasured, as they give a much better idea of the
uniforms than do monochromes. When hand-coloured there is no guarantee
of correct impression; in fact such pictures are often glaringly
misleading.
* * * * *
Having made these preliminary remarks, it may be well to point out some
of the best-known works containing military prints.
"The British Military Library," published not later than 1801, in
two volumes, contains some score or more of accurately drawn plates
representing types of the British Army. They are well executed, though
the figures appear a trifle stiff and wooden.
Spooner's "Military and Naval Uniforms," by Mansion and Eschauzier,
seventy plates in colour, dating from 1833. These are probably some of
the finest representations of early nineteenth-century uniforms that
the collector can possess. The dresses are accurately depicted, but the
artists do not excel when drawing galloping horses.
Ackermann's "Costumes of the British and Indian Armies," by various
artists. Some sixty odd coloured plates, dating from 1840. The plates
include not only the uniforms of the regular Army, but also the Indian
Army and the Volunteer Force. This is a very fine collection.
Cannon's "Historical Records of the British Army." A monumental work
in sixty-eight volumes, but the coloured plates are occasionally
found loose. The pictures are in two series: (_a_) Cavalry, and (_b_)
Infantry; they depict regimental dress of the period 1837-53.
W. Heath's "Military Costumes of the British Cavalry." A set of sixteen
coloured plates, of the year 1820.
E. Hull's "Costumes of the British Army in 1828." Some seventy odd
lithographs of fairly pleasing character. They appear to be drawn with
complete accuracy.
"Military Costumes of Europe." A work published in two volumes in 1822.
Nearly a hundred coloured plates are included, about a quarter of which
are of British uniforms.
Thomas Rowlandson's "Loyal Volunteers of London" (1799). A most
interesting work full of coloured plates showing the uniforms of the
non-regular units at the close of the eighteenth century. Students of
military dress should pay special attention to this interesting gallery
of pictures.
Lieutenant-Colonel Luard's "History of the Dress of the British
Soldier." Fifty uncoloured and not very attractive plates (1852). The
work contains much interesting matter in the letterpress, however, and
the plates, though plain, are useful to students of military dress.
Ralph Nevill's "British Military Prints" is of recent production. (_The
Connoisseur_ Publishing Co., 1909, 5s.). This work contains a sumptuous
array of coloured and uncoloured reproductions of old prints, many of
which are far more attractive than the originals. It is a book that the
student should undoubtedly possess.
* * * * *
So far, the prints of which we have spoken have all been of a serious
nature, but the period under consideration was marked by the rise of
two clever caricaturists, named Henry Bunbury and James Gillray, who
require some mention. The works of these two artists are but little
known, in spite of the fact that some authorities consider them equal
to any of the satirical efforts of the famous Hogarth. Bunbury and
Gillray are of interest to the collector of military prints because
many of their pictures dealt with soldiers and soldiering. We cannot
claim that the detail of the uniforms which figure in all the pictures
of these two artists are absolutely correct, but they certainly do not
display any glaring errors which are likely to mislead.
Bunbury was a friend of Sir Joshua Reynolds and also of Hoppner, he
thus moved in the artists' circle of the day. "During the time he
was living in Suffolk, he was prominently associated with the County
Militia; and no doubt it was at this period that ideas for humorous
military sketches presented themselves. 'The Militia Meeting,'
'Recruits,' and 'The Deserter' may be mentioned among these, while a
story is told in connection with another sketch that is characteristic
of Bunbury's readiness with his pencil. A young private of his regiment
applied for a pass in order to visit the lady of his affections. The
application having come before Mr. Bunbury, he not only signed the
pass, but drew a comical sketch on the permit, representing the meeting
of the amorous couple, to the great amusement of the officers to whom
the pass was presented.
"In 1778, political relations between England and America were very
strained, in consequence of which militia camps were formed in various
parts of the country. Henry Bunbury, as an officer of the Suffolk
Militia, was ordered to join his camp at Coxheath. All sorts of
caricatures from all sorts of pencils (most of them anonymous) satirize
the military mania of the time. Naturally Bunbury was not behind the
rest, and many sketches of a military character, evidently drawn by
him at this time, are still in existence. Bunbury's wonderful talent
in making these sketches of a martial kind appears to have been
recognized at the time, for an exhibition of his military drawings was
organized in 1788 and held at Somerset House."[18]
[18] Herbert Ewart, in _The Connoisseur_, June 1903, pp. 87-88.
Gillray, the second artist mentioned above, was the son of a soldier
who fought at Fontenoy, and thus his thoughts were constantly turned to
military subjects. Though his satirical drawings dealt with the various
topics of the day--his works were published between 1777 and 1815--he
seems to have lost no opportunity of showing his spleen for the French,
and Napoleon in particular. We have a long list of such artistic
effusions of which the following may be mentioned:
1. Fighting for the Dunghill: or Jack Tar settling Citoyen François.
2. Buonaparte, hearing of Nelson's victory, swears by his sword to
extirpate the English from off the Earth.
3. General result of Buonaparte's attack upon Ibrahim Bey's Rear Guard.
4. Britannia between Death and the Doctor.
5. The Surrender of Ulm: or Buonaparte and General Mack coming to a
right understanding.
6. The New Dynasty: or the little Corsican gardener planting a royal
pippin-tree.
7. Apotheosis of the Corsican Phoenix.
In the foregoing, we have merely touched upon the subject of collecting
military prints, but enough has been said in these few pages to show
that this branch of curio-hunting is full of fascination and deep
interest and is well worth the attention, not only of readers who
possess artistic feeling, but of those who are desirous of adding
to their store of knowledge concerning the military dress of bygone
periods.
[Illustration: A SINGULAR TRAIT OF BUONAPARTE'S FAVOURITE MAMELUKE.
By Cruikshank.]